House adopts conference report on agriculture budget bill, repasses HF 2446

The Minnesota House on a voice vote adopted the conference committee report on House File 2446 and repassed the bill as amended by the conference committee, clearing an omnibus budget bill for the Department of Agriculture.

Representative Anderson P.H., the bill author and a conferee, urged adoption of the report, saying the package largely preserved the bill’s core programs while accepting some Senate policy changes and “a couple of fee increases” that could not be negotiated. “Our top priority all along has been maintaining funding for the Board of Animal Health,” Anderson said, calling the board “our first line of defense in terms of any livestock diseases that may show up in Minnesota.”

The bill’s supporters said the measure is bipartisan and balances traditional agriculture interests with newer priorities such as food programs and worker protections. “This bill is a hybrid,” Representative Hansen, co-chair of the conference committee, told the House, describing the package as a mix of “house GOP, the house DFL, the senate, and the…